Top quilt bottom quilt interplay

[HesNot]

I'm new to hammocking and headed out this weekend with my sons scout troop and am giving hanging a try. I have a Skeeter Beeter Pro and just got a New River 30 underquilt. I have two down bags - 20 degree Golite (that has kept me warm with a synmat and reasonable clothes down to 21) and a 40 degree Marmot Aspen ultralight (that with marginal clothes was chilly at 34 - forecast had been for 44 low).

Current forecast for Mt. Rogers, VA is a low of 43... Although weather can be apparently unpredictable there. So... does a warmer underquilt buy you some headroom so to speak with the top insulation? Oddly I am worried about being too warm with the 20 degree bag and underquilt... and the Golite design does not easily convert to top quilt as it has only a half zipper (it does have a footbox vent however but...). So I'd be sleeping in it mummy style. Obviously I can make sure I have some clothes I can put on over my normal sleep system if I get chilly with the 40 degree bag but I wasn't sure if I'd be warmer in a 40 degree bag with a 30 degree underquilt and a fairly sizable tarp in a hammock compared to the same bag on a good pad on the ground due to the "wraparound" of the underquilt.

Thanks!

[pgibson]

Most folks feel that you want more warmth on the bottom than the top. I would go with the Marmot...it will be a lot easier to get in and out of in the hammock too.

[Mundele]

I'm new to hammocking and headed out this weekend with my sons scout troop and am giving hanging a try. I have a Skeeter Beeter Pro and just got a New River 30 underquilt. I have two down bags - 20 degree Golite (that has kept me warm with a synmat and reasonable clothes down to 21) and a 40 degree Marmot Aspen ultralight (that with marginal clothes was chilly at 34 - forecast had been for 44 low).

Current forecast for Mt. Rogers, VA is a low of 43... Although weather can be apparently unpredictable there. So... does a warmer underquilt buy you some headroom so to speak with the top insulation? Oddly I am worried about being too warm with the 20 degree bag and underquilt... and the Golite design does not easily convert to top quilt as it has only a half zipper (it does have a footbox vent however but...). So I'd be sleeping in it mummy style. Obviously I can make sure I have some clothes I can put on over my normal sleep system if I get chilly with the 40 degree bag but I wasn't sure if I'd be warmer in a 40 degree bag with a 30 degree underquilt and a fairly sizable tarp in a hammock compared to the same bag on a good pad on the ground due to the "wraparound" of the underquilt.

Thanks!

Mt Rogers is pretty high up, and does get some crazy weather sometimes. I've been there in the summertime and it be pretty chilly/wet/rainy/windy. If cloudcover is low you're literally in the clouds. I'd recommend you take the warm stuff.

Beautiful spot though. Be sure to hike to the summit of Mt. Rogers. No views, but it is one of the 2 or 3 patches of spruce forest that still remains in the south. (the others I know of are Roan High Knob in NC/TN and Clingman's Dome in GSMNP.

[dfscott]

I'm new to hammocking and headed out this weekend with my sons scout troop and am giving hanging a try.

I am doing the exact same thing this weekend (1st hammock camp and with scout troop), but further south at Fort Mtn, Georgia. Our lows are expected to only be in the mid-50s, so I'm going pad + Wallyworld synth bag only (which is good, since I don't have a UQ yet!).

Let me know how it goes -- I'm trying to collect as much info as possible, particularly from the newer folks that may not have the thick skins of these experienced hangers.

[mros2stf]

I've been using a HG Incubator 20 deg (overstuffed) UQ and love it, with my 15 deg BA sleeping bag. I will be going to a top quilt, as I'm tired of the bottom of the bag wadding up and wrinkling under my back. I'll probably get a 20 deg top quilt for winter and probably a 50 deg TQ for summer with a 40 deg UQ for late spring/early fall.